TRIPOLY TO BENGAZI. 
97 
would himself ride before, to reconnoitre the ground when w^e 
arrived in the neighbourhood of those places. He then assumed an 
air of amazing importance, and putting one hand upon the head of a 
pistol at his side, and stroking with the other his grey bushy beard, 
bade us not be alarmed at any danger which might threaten us 
while we were under the protection of the Diibbah! We were now 
quite convinced that our valiant old friend had himself been the 
author of the report, in order, as we then thought, to enhance the 
value of his protection ; and we afterwards discovered the reason 
why he wished to have an excuse for riding on occasionally in advance 
of the party. It was, however, not our wish to hurt the old Shekh’s 
feelings by a disclosure of these suspicions, and it was certainly not 
our policy to do so ; we therefore acquiesced in his remarks upon 
his own importance, and assured him that it was really our firm belief 
that no sbandut would be daring enough to enter into his presence. 
After some little further conversation with the Shekhs, from whom 
we obtained all the information we could, we reminded Belcdzi of 
his promise to collect the camels, which we told him we wished to 
have as speedily as possible, and he soon after rose to take his 
leave, and retired with the formidable Dhbbah. On the following 
morning he sent his son to say that we should have the camels in 
three or four days, and we took the opportunity of making the youth 
some few presents, with which he was highly delighted. In the 
evening we returned Belc4zi’s visit, and were received with a good 
deal of that easy politeness, which the better classes of Turks and 
Arabs know so well (when they choose it) how to practise We 
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